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11/21/2024 11:04:42 pm

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Obama Lays Out New EPA Guidelines on Monday

(Photo : Reuters / Kevin Lamarque) A U.S. power plant in Pennsylvania.

President Barack Obama will announce his new program which intends to reduce carbon emissions from power plants on Monday.

The new rule, outlined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is aimed at reducing carbon emissions through a shift from using coal to renewable energy and natural gas, USA Today reported.

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Fox News learned that the rule will implemented state-wide. States will be required to outline plans to reduce their power plant emissions. The program will allow for flexibility on how states can implement programs to make a shift from coal to natural gas or other renewable sources of energy and reduce demand for electricity.

Power plants running on coal are reported to give off about 40 percent of the country's greenhouse gas emissions, making them the second largest producer of greenhouse gases in the U.S.

Obama's campaign to fight climate change has been met with resistance particularly by the energy industry and the U.S. congress.

The president had initially passed a bill to reduce carbon emissions but was dismissed by Congress. To continue his campaign, he asked the EPA to formulate a framework under the Clean Air Act.

Some of the major arguments against the new rule is the reduction in jobs and the increase of electricity prices.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a study indicating the loss of at least 224,000 jobs per year from 2030 if the new rule will be implemented. It also found that annual costs would increase by about $50 billion.

In West Virginia, about 96 percent of the power is sourced from coal. West Virginia Rep. Nick Rahall predicts the new rule will be "bad for jobs."

However, it seems Obama is focused on reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

A year after the new rules are implemented, a reduction of about 100,000 asthma attacks and 2,100 heart attacks is expected, according to Obama.

"We don't have to choose between the health of our economy and the health of our children," he said during his weekly address at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington on Friday.

He points out the double standard on capping a ceiling on toxic chemicals such as arsenic, mercury and sulfur that are being released in air and water, while no restriction is being imposed on the amount of carbon dioxide released in the air.

"It's not safe, and it doesn't make sense," he adds.

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